PRESS RELEASE: Department of Energy and Mines, Municipality of Digby and Pollution Probe are Working Together to Engage Communities on Their Energy Future

Digby, NS – October 10, 2018 – The energy system is changing and Digby is planning for its energy future. On October 11, an energy symposium will be held at the Digby Pines Hotel where community and business leaders will discuss energy projects and systems in Digby. The symposium will include a number of speakers and panels, including the Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Simon d’Entremont.

The event has been organized by The Municipality of Digby and Pollution Probe, a Canadian environmental charity, to increase community engagement in energy decisions. Pollution Probe has launched a pilot project, Energy Ambassadors, which looks at how to engage communities to help them set their own energy future. Digby will host a pilot of the Energy Ambassadors program. As part of the program Energy Ambassadors is hosting an energy symposium for community and business leaders during the day and a general public workshop in the evening at the Digby Fire Station that will focus on a proposed energy storage plant.

Both the symposium and public workshop are happening on October 11 and are free events. To register for the public workshop, click here.

Quotes
“The goal of Energy Ambassadors is to help communities understand energy in their community and in Canada from a systems perspective. It’s important that the public can meaningfully participate when new energy infrastructure is proposed for their community, and that communities are able to help shape their own energy future”.– Richard Carlson, Director of Energy, Pollution Probe

“The Province of Nova Scotia wants all of our communities to have the opportunity to participate in, and benefit from our cleaner energy future. Efforts like this build on Nova Scotia’s reputation as a national leader in the fight against climate change, and we remain committed to supporting collaboration and fostering innovation and sustainable, inclusive growth.– Derek Mombourquette, Minister of Energy and Mines

“The work we are undertaking with Pollution Probe highlights the need to address the socio-economic ‘elephant in the room’ in our region; inferior grid capacity. We are excited to be working with our partners, the Department of Energy, Nova Scotia Power and the broader business community in tackling these challenges head-on The threat of not getting the narrative right far outweigh the socio-economic benefit for generations to come.”– Digby Warden, Jimmy MacAlpine.

“I am pleased the Digby region is one of five communities nationwide hosting this event. Digby has and will continue to identify economic developments in energy planning and accept the challenges in doing so.”– Digby Mayor, Ben Cleveland.

About the Energy Ambassadors Project
Energy Ambassadors is run by Energy Exchange, a division of Pollution Probe, a national, non-profit organization that exists to improve the health and well-being of Canadians by advancing policy that achieves positive, tangible environmental change. Its approach is to define environmental problems through research, to promote understanding through education and to press for practical solutions through advocacy. Visit www.pollutionprobe.org for details.